Difference between revisions of "Charon"

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Charon is the largest natural satellite of [[Pluto]]. It is so large compared to Pluto, that some astronomers consider them a [[Binary Planet]].
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{| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="margin:25px 0 0 10px; border:3px solid lightsteelblue;width:250px; font-size:90%; font-family:'Arial','Helvetica'; float: right; clear: right;"Pluto in Orbiter"
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!bgcolor="lightsteelblue" colspan="2" align="center" |Charon
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|-
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|colspan="2" align="center"|[[Image:Charon-nhplutoenc150703-Orbiter2016D3D9.jpg|Charon|240px]]
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|-
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|colspan="2" align="center"|'''Charon-nhplutoenc150703-Orbiter2016D3D9.jpg|<center>Pluto from ''Pluto and Moons.zip'' and ''New Horizons Pluto Encounter.zip'' in Orbiter 2016 with D3D9</center>'''
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|-
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!bgcolor="lightsteelblue" colspan="2"|Designation
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|-
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|Name||align="right"|Charon
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|-
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|width="30%"|Reference body||align="right" width="30%"|134340 Pluto
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|-
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|width="30%"|Number of satellites||align="right" width="30%"|
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|-
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!bgcolor="lightsteelblue" colspan="2"|Planetary mean orbits
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|-
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|width="30%"|Epoch||align="right" width="50%"|2002.88980151
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|-
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|width="30%"|Semimajor axis (a)||align="right" width="50%"|19571421.7074156 m
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|-
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|width="30%"|Eccentricity (e)||align="right" width="30%"|0.0000373396813869476
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|-
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|width="30%"|Inclination (i)||align="right" width="30%"|0° <br> (0 radian)
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|-
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|width="30%"|Longitude of the ascending node (LAN, ☊)||align="right" width="30%"|219.363153172047° <br> (3.82860928040886 radian)
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|-
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|width="30%"|Longitude of periapsis (ϖ)||align="right" width="30%"|136.954° <br> (2.39029822377631 radian)
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|-
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|width="30%"|Mean longitude (L)||align="right" width="30%"|34.9° <br> (0.60911990894602 radian)
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|-
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!bgcolor="lightsteelblue" colspan="2"|Selected physical parameters
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|-
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|width="30%"|Mean radius||align="right" width="30%"|606316.642534735 m
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|-
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|width="30%"|Mass||align="right" width="30%"|1.51311205×10<sup>21</sup> kg
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|-
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|width="30%"|Sidereal rotation period||align="right" width="30%"|551856.709233070848 sec (6.38723 hours)
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|-
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|width="30%"|SidRotOffset||align="right" width="30%"|3.14159265358979324
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|-
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|width="30%"|Obliquity||align="right" width="30%"|96.145° (1.67804680932995 radian)
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|-
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|width="30%"|LAN||align="right" width="30%"|43.046° (0.7512944298135 radian)
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|-
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|width="30%"|Note||align="right" width="30%"|*Elements given are from Charon.cfg (PlutoandMoons.zip)
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|}
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Charon is the largest natural satellite of [[Pluto]]. Its radius is about half that of Pluto, and their barycentre lies outside both objects. This is a common definition of a binary object, leading some astronomers to consider them a [[w:Double planet|double dwarf planet]].
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Charon was discovered in 1978 by [[w:James W. Christy|James W Christy]].
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From the discovery of [[Nix]] and [[Hydra]], it was possible to estimate Charon's mass as roughly 10% that of Pluto. This implies it's approximately 45% ice, thought mostly to be water ice.
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== Charon in Orbiter ==
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Charon was introduced to Orbiter with the release of ''pluto_pack.zip'' in July 2004.
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
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|colspan="8"|<center>'''Orbiter versions and add-ons which include Charon'''</center>
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|-
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!Add-on!!Source!!Version!!Author!!Type!!Release Date!!Compatibility!!Wiki article
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|-
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|[https://www.orbiter-forum.com/resources/new-horizons-pluto-encounter.3045/ New Horizons Pluto Encounter]||O-F Resources||2015-07-09||BrianJ||Scenarios||9 July 2015||||
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|-
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|[https://www.orbiter-forum.com/resources/celestial-bodies-motion-part-2-4-v2-0-0.295/ Celestial Bodies Motion - Part 2/4 - v2.0.0]||O-F Resources||v2.0.0||cristiapi||Scenery||2 July 2015||*config and module only||
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|-
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|[https://www.orbiter-forum.com/resources/pluto-and-moons.978/ Pluto and Moons]||O-F Resources||2010-05-13||Piper||Scenery||13 May 2010||||
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|-
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|[https://www.orbiter-forum.com/resources/orbital-correction-for-pluto-and-moons.1388/ Orbital correction for Pluto and moons]||O-F Resources||2009-11-25||Unknown OHM Addon Developer||Scenery||25 November 2009||||
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|-
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|[https://www.orbiter-forum.com/resources/pluto.281/ Pluto]||O-F Resources||2006-11-13||Unknown OHM Addon Developer||Scenery||13 November 2006||||
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|-
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|[https://www.orbiter-forum.com/resources/pluto-charon-v2-0.230/ Pluto-Charon v2.0]||O-F Resources||2005-05-09||Nighthawke||Scenery||10 May 2005||Orbiter 2005||
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|-
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|[https://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?DLID=&Name=&FileName=pluto_pack.zip&Author=&CatID=root Pluto Pack]||AVSIM||||CharlotMan||Scenery||17 July 2004||||
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|}
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== Gallery ==
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<gallery widths="100" heights="100">
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Charon-plutopackzip-Orbiter2003P2.jpg|<center>Charon from ''pluto_pack.zip'' in Orbiter 2003P2</center>
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Charon-PlutoCharonv20zip-Orbiter2005P1.jpg|<center>Charon from ''Pluto-Charon_v2.0.zip'' in Orbiter 2005P1</center>
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Charon-Plutozip-Orbiter2006P1.jpg|<center>Charon from ''Pluto.zip'' in Orbiter 2006P1</center>
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Charon-PlutoandMoonsZip-Orbiter2006P1.jpg|<center>Charon from ''PlutoandMoons.zip'' in Orbiter 2006P1</center>
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Charon-nhplutoenc150703-Orbiter2016D3D9.jpg|<center>Charon from ''Pluto and Moons.zip'' and ''New Horizons Pluto Encounter.zip'' in Orbiter 2016 with D3D9</center>
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Charon in True Color - High-Res.jpg|<center>Charon imaged by [[w:New Horizons|New Horizons spacecraft]] in July 2015<br>from Wikimedia Commons</center>
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First Color Animated Images show Pluto and its Moon Charon.gif|<center>first color animation of the orbits of Pluto and Charon<br>from Wikimedia Commons</center>
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Animation of moons of Pluto - Front view.gif|<center>Animation of the moons of Pluto (Pluto white, Charon blue, Styx green, Nix magenta, Kerberos cyan, Hydra red)<br>from Wikimedia Commons</center>
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</gallery>
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{{Nsat-Stub}}
 
{{Nsat-Stub}}
 
{{PlutoMoons}}
 
{{PlutoMoons}}
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{{SolarSystem}}
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[[Category:Articles]]
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[[Category:Celestial bodies]]
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[[Category:Solar System]]
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[[Category:Natural satellites]]

Latest revision as of 12:26, 11 November 2024

Charon
Charon
Charon-nhplutoenc150703-Orbiter2016D3D9.jpg|
Pluto from Pluto and Moons.zip and New Horizons Pluto Encounter.zip in Orbiter 2016 with D3D9
Designation
Name Charon
Reference body 134340 Pluto
Number of satellites
Planetary mean orbits
Epoch 2002.88980151
Semimajor axis (a) 19571421.7074156 m
Eccentricity (e) 0.0000373396813869476
Inclination (i) 0°
(0 radian)
Longitude of the ascending node (LAN, ☊) 219.363153172047°
(3.82860928040886 radian)
Longitude of periapsis (ϖ) 136.954°
(2.39029822377631 radian)
Mean longitude (L) 34.9°
(0.60911990894602 radian)
Selected physical parameters
Mean radius 606316.642534735 m
Mass 1.51311205×1021 kg
Sidereal rotation period 551856.709233070848 sec (6.38723 hours)
SidRotOffset 3.14159265358979324
Obliquity 96.145° (1.67804680932995 radian)
LAN 43.046° (0.7512944298135 radian)
Note *Elements given are from Charon.cfg (PlutoandMoons.zip)

Charon is the largest natural satellite of Pluto. Its radius is about half that of Pluto, and their barycentre lies outside both objects. This is a common definition of a binary object, leading some astronomers to consider them a double dwarf planet.

Charon was discovered in 1978 by James W Christy.

From the discovery of Nix and Hydra, it was possible to estimate Charon's mass as roughly 10% that of Pluto. This implies it's approximately 45% ice, thought mostly to be water ice.

Charon in Orbiter[edit]

Charon was introduced to Orbiter with the release of pluto_pack.zip in July 2004.

Orbiter versions and add-ons which include Charon
Add-on Source Version Author Type Release Date Compatibility Wiki article
New Horizons Pluto Encounter O-F Resources 2015-07-09 BrianJ Scenarios 9 July 2015
Celestial Bodies Motion - Part 2/4 - v2.0.0 O-F Resources v2.0.0 cristiapi Scenery 2 July 2015 *config and module only
Pluto and Moons O-F Resources 2010-05-13 Piper Scenery 13 May 2010
Orbital correction for Pluto and moons O-F Resources 2009-11-25 Unknown OHM Addon Developer Scenery 25 November 2009
Pluto O-F Resources 2006-11-13 Unknown OHM Addon Developer Scenery 13 November 2006
Pluto-Charon v2.0 O-F Resources 2005-05-09 Nighthawke Scenery 10 May 2005 Orbiter 2005
Pluto Pack AVSIM CharlotMan Scenery 17 July 2004

Gallery[edit]

  • Charon from pluto_pack.zip in Orbiter 2003P2
  • Charon from Pluto-Charon_v2.0.zip in Orbiter 2005P1
  • Charon from Pluto.zip in Orbiter 2006P1
  • Charon from PlutoandMoons.zip in Orbiter 2006P1
  • Charon from Pluto and Moons.zip and New Horizons Pluto Encounter.zip in Orbiter 2016 with D3D9
  • Charon imaged by New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015
    from Wikimedia Commons
  • first color animation of the orbits of Pluto and Charon
    from Wikimedia Commons
  • Animation of the moons of Pluto (Pluto white, Charon blue, Styx green, Nix magenta, Kerberos cyan, Hydra red)
    from Wikimedia Commons
Retrieved from "https://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Charon&oldid=433710"